Workshop: Shakespeare Fusion

ShakespeareFusion

A multilingual exploration of Shakespeare in performance

More than any other playwright, Shakespeare has been translated and adopted into languages and cultures all over the world.

In the English language, the beauty of Shakespeare’s text lies in its rhythm. So, what happens when his work is translated into other languages? What impact do language and culture have upon Shakespeare’s text in performance? How would Shakespeare’s text be impacted by performance in multiple languages?

Driftwood Theatre Artistic Director Jeremy Smith and Iraqi performer Ahmed Moneka will explore these questions during a five-day workshop for professional theatre artists. Beginning with a review of the foundations of Shakespeare’s rhythms and training in the performance of classical text in English, the workshop will also encompass a sharing of Shakespeare’s text in multiple languages, investigating the effect of language and cultural rhythms upon our shared experience of the world’s most-performed playwright. Through text work, rhythm play, and discussion, we hope to come to a greater understanding of Shakespeare’s universal appeal.

Participating artists who speak a second language will be expected to prepare a selection of Shakespeare’s text in English, while also seeking out, bringing and sharing the same text in translation of a language of their choice.

DETAILS:

Dates: June 11 – 15, 2018, 10am – 4pm daily

Location: Tarragon Rehearsal Studios (30 Bridgman Avenue, Toronto)

FEES:

This workshop is FREE for equity-seeking artists and artists for whom English is a second language

$200 regular

$160 CAEA/Theatre Ontario

$20 audit final session (Friday, June 15)

To apply please forward a resume and a brief summary of your interest in this workshop to: jsmith[at]driftwoodtheatre[dot]com

3 Comments

Thanks Ahmed for this workshop initiative. As a newly immigrant actor I missed my backhome theatre career badly. This workshop could be the great opportunity for me to restart my stage performance in both second and first language. I wish, I could deliver the Shakespeare in Bengali, my first language, certainly, It will re-open the door of hope. As an actor in Canada, I would say many migrated artist will be benefited from this experimental Workshop, Shakespeare Fusion by mixing with the experienced professional artists who lived in Canada.

Finally, I explains my own position in Toronto right now., and my question is -do I need to Pay or not? If I do need to pay the fee for the workshop?

Hello Riaz –
Thanks so much for your note and your enthusiasm for our workshop. We’re happy to hear of your interest. To confirm your desire to participate, please forward a letter (similar to this note is fine) telling us why you’d like to participate, and include your theatre resume. Please send the email to Jeremy at jsmith[at]driftwoodtheatre[dot]com. To answer your question, as it would appear that you most certainly identify as an equity-seeking artist, your participation would be free.